The Death Penalty In The Time Of Antigone

Sophocles, a great tragedian, was the one who gave Greek tragedies their traditional form. An important part of traditional Greek tragedies is the presence of a tragic hero. All tragic heroes should have the characteristics of rank, a tragic flaw, a downfall, and a recognition of mistakes. The seemingly tragic hero is Antigone. She wants to bury her brother Polyneices even though this would be going against Creon, who is her uncle and the king. When Antigone buries Polyneices Creon sentences her to death because of it. In Antigone by Sophocles the tragic hero is not Antigone because she only meets the characteristic of a tragic flaw, hers being pride, but doesn 't meet the other three characteristics of a

For ages, humans have been ending the lives of others in the name of morality and

In the time of Antigone the gods played a critical role in the lives of men and in the government. The gods were the only reason why people acted within the realms of society, so the idea that the gods would disapprove of the treatment of Antigone's brother is a serious matter. Antigone is now not only channeling the king`s law but his right to be in power, because the gods give power to men and if he does not have the approval of the gods he has no power. The gods also require specific burial processes in order for someone to enter the afterlife, so the was Antigone's brother`s body is treated he would have never entered the afterlife. She cites the gods as the justification for her actions and says that they out rule Creon so her actions are not wrong “Hades longs to have

In the play Antigone by Sophocles, Antigone is portrayed as a character searching for justice for her brother’s burial after Creon had declared him a traitor to the city of Thebes. After a blood versus blood battle with Polynices versus Eteocles, the two brothers committed the horrid crime of fratricide and one was granted the right of burial, and the other was made an outlaw. Antigone’s understanding of justice is demonstrated by the fact that she puts family and the ones that she loves above all, even at the risk of death. Throughout the play, Antigone displays no fear at the thought of death when it comes down to burying her brother, no matter what anyone says about him or his burial. Antigone’s search for justice is successful because she dies as a heroic figure who put family over law and died for the cause of family. The search for justice in Antigone's life ultimately kills her, but she is remembered for her great strength and courage that helped her to defy the law and bury her brother. Antigone demonstrates her tenacious allegiance to her fallen brother and will not let Creon or anyone else tell her not to bury him because of her unending belief in family and justice.

What do people do when their personal beliefs conflict with the laws of their society? Most people have their own opinions in relation to the laws placed in their society. Whether one supports or opposes a law due to their personal beliefs coming into conflict with it, the person has the decision to do something or to do nothing. Within the ancient Greek play Antigone by Sophocles, multiple characters had to chose if they should do something about an unjust law that went against their person beliefs; the law enacted made it illegal to bury Polyneices, a previous partial-ruler that tried to retake the throne of Thebes. The consequence of breaking the law was death by stoning. Most decided to follow the law in fear of Creon, the King of Thebes, and their belief to follow the laws of society regardless if it was moral or not. However, there was one brave enough to break the law because it went against their personal beliefs; this person was Antigone, Polyneices’ niece. Antigone believed this law was unjust and unsacred to do so, for the people of Thebes had strong beliefs in their gods. To connect, the ancient play Antigone as well as modern controversial issues in the world today, both have a related underlying argument: When people feel their personal beliefs are in conflict with the laws of their society, most of the time they will defy authority, protest and/or simply follow the law.

In my opinion, Antigone is right. I say this because she stood up for her beliefs. She had to go through the death of her brother Polyneices. Antigone was willing to die and be punished by King Creon because she wanted a proper burial for her brother. According to the movie, it states, "Polyneices, I say, is to have no burial: no man is to touch him or say the least prayer for him; he shall lie on the plain, unburied; and the birds and the scavenging dogs can do with him whatever they like. You will give no support to whoever breaks this law." King Creon thinks that what Antigone did was wrong because she disobeyed his law. Antigone knows that King Creon forbidden and clearly did not allow anyone to bury Polyneices. I believe that King Creon is wrong in that regard because she obviously loved and cared for her brother no matter what. Antigone felt disrespected, she did not want to sit there allowing her brother to not be properly buried.

What if Antigone had been given a fair trial with a jury of her peers? Would they have condemned her still? You get to be the prosecution & defense in determining a fair fate for Antigone. You must ask yourselves, did Antigone act with treasonous intent against The State or were her actions otherwise motivated? Even further, was this an act of the gods and beyond her control?

The conditionality of burying the dead shows that gods’ law is less sacred for Antigone than she claims to be. Neither does she care about her living families. She humiliates Ismene publicly, causing Creon’s death indirectly and set her uncle Creon in a dilemma where he needs to punish his daughter-in-law. Her real incentive is individual reputation, for she excludes Ismene from standing by her and asks Ismene to spread the news about her defiant act. She seems to use religion and family as elegant reasons to achieve honor. On the contrary, Creon, as a king, weights the interest of the overall state more than his own family. After experiencing the civil war caused by Polyneices, he understands the great need of the polis for order and thus enacts harsh laws to punish people causing riots. Unanimous obedience to law would also encourage his people to fight bravely in the war by being “loyal and dauntless at his comrades’s side”. Creon has to retain the validity and effectiveness of the law, because if every citizen can pursue any personal interest without fear for grave consequences, the entire social operation mechanism would break down. Punishing Antigone is necessary to retain the order of the polis.

Although Creon has forbid the burial of Polyneices, Antigone does not believe he has the authority to do so. She states, "It is not for him to keep me from my own" (54). The Greeks believed that all people, whether friend or foe, deserved a proper burial after death for it was the law of the gods. Antigone's belief in this is very strong. When brought before Creon, Antigone proclaims, "I did not believe your proclamation had such power to enable one who will someday die to override God's ordinances, unwritten and secure" (496-499). She does not deny her actions because she believes that it is more important for her to follow the law of the gods and face the human consequences than it is for her to disobey them and suffer their wrath. Antigone even says, "These are the laws whose penalties I would not incur form the gods, through fear of any man's temper" (502-503). Antigone knew that this would result in her death however, the urge to do what she believed to be just and righteous out weighed the consequences. So while some might not view a law to be fair, if it was put in place by an authoritative figure, it is almost certain that their will be some sort of punishment for disobeying

This paper will briefly cover the world history of the use of the death penalty as well as its current use in the United States of America. The paper will discuss the statistics of how often the death penalty is utilized as a sentence for capital crimes as well as the time a convicted person spends awaiting the death penalty to be imposed. This paper will utilize research from published sources. This paper will also review current death penalty issues are the occurring in our court systems today.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” In the face of immoral laws, Antigone did nothing more than doing what she believed was right. Antigone did not deserve the fate she received, death. Her act was courageous, compassionate, and altruistic. These are traits of an act worthy of reverence, not demise.

Antigone’s argument with her sister about her plans to defy the king is the scene that opens the play. From the start, she appears certain that burying Polynices will restore justice when she says, “even if I die in the act, that death will be a glory (Sophocles 86).” She was so sure of the immorality of Creon’s law that she was willing to go to any means necessary to keep her brother from becoming a cautionary tale. In the philosophical statement made by Martin Luther King Jr., he says that, “An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.” Antigone stood alone in defending her brother's honor, and did not waver from her beliefs at any point. She went to great lengths in order to convey her belief that Creon had been unfair in the conviction of Polynices. In doing so, she attempted to awaken the consciences of the other Thebans and prove to them that even though Creon was their leader, they had the ability to voice their concerns about

Antigone believed that the actions she took were done for the right reason, because they adhere to the law of the Gods. In opposition to that, Creon believes that the actions he had taken were in fact the right ones, because he believed that Polyneices was a traitor to the land, and that anyone who should give him a proper burial would suffer the penalty of death. So, the actions that were taken by both of them individually were the right ones, in their own minds at least.<br><br>Antigone, in her plan to give her brother Polyneices a proper burial, kept in mind the consequences that she would suffer for having followed through with the plan. This doesn't necessarily mean that Antigone does not obey the human law that is set up by King Creon, it just means that this particular rule conflicted with the law of the Gods, something that Antigone believes highly in obeying, especially when it deals with her family. Antigone disregards the Olympian Justice that governs the land and also presides over the set laws that make civilized life attainable (Segal "Antigone" 172).<br><br>Antigone goes up against human law, by burying her brother Polyneices, knowing well that she will have to sacrifice her own life. She does this only because it is morally and ethically right, and this is why she stakes her life based upon her strong beliefs (Segal

The strange thing about society is that it is unacceptable for a person to kill another, yet it is considered acceptable to retaliate to this action, and others crimes, with the consequence of execution. In Antigone, many people had realized this flaw and felt it that it was wrong to kill Antigone for defying Creon’s orders. The play Antigone, written by Sophocles, is based off a decree created by King Creon that anyone who attempts to bury the body of Polyneices, the brother of Antigone, will be put to death. Antigone disobeys this decree out of loyalty to her family and is sentenced to die. The death penalty should not a form of criminal punishment because it is ineffective.

Antigone uses the concept of death in many ways when unfolding the tragic story of Antigone and her rebellion. The most obvious way is how death is used as a form of capital punishment and justice against state-dubbed criminals and wrongdoers. The play first exhibits this notion when Antigone states, “No passing humor, for the edict says who’er transgresses shall be stoned to death”